No 13051, Saturday 26 Sep 2020, Arden

 Solution to 13A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

ACROSS

1   Little over half a dollar to accept is no use — it could be termed immoral behaviour (14) LICENTIOUSNESS {L1 CENTS} over {IS+NO+USE}* 

10 In the past, pound essentially was a unit of weight (5) OUNCE {O{poUnd}NCE}

11 Country once said to have been annexed by another (9) INDONESIA (~once){ONES} in {INDIA}

12 Oh dear! Butter’s returned to get wine (7) MARSALA {ALAS}{RAM}<=

13 Think, often it becomes left-of-centre (7) R?F?E?T (Addendum - REFLECT {LEFt of CenTRE}* [CA] - See comments)

14 One among them met a six-footer (5) EMMET [T]

16 Return, make way, talk and vanish (9) EVAPORATE {PAVE<=}{ORATE}

19 When you finally become big in the company, show arrogant behaviour (9) BOSSINESS B(-u+os)OSSINESS

20 Weld it together, keep as it is (5) DITTO [T]

22 Cancels agents lacking regular gear (7) DELETES DELEgaTES

25 Live longer, not in the end (7) OUTLAST {OUT}{LAST}

27 Tragic end — you accept everything that’s pure (9) UNALLOYED {END+YOU}* over {ALL}

28 It is wasted before middle age (5) THING {THIN}{aGe}

29 Definitely no entry — no... no you’ll mess it up (3,2,4,5) NOT ON YOUR NELLY*

DOWN

2   Slight tickle ends shortly, he doesn’t know (9) IGNORAMUS {IGNORe}{AMUSe}

3   Purge your adversary, America for the fourth of July (9) ENEMA ENEM(-y+a)A

4   Wait, see an alternative subject (9) TAIWANESE*

5   Previous book changed hands internally (5) OLDER O(-r+l)LDER

6   Exotic, grand, if so, it’s cool (4-5) SANG-FROID*

7   Follow regularly, been astute (5) ENSUE {bEeN+aStUtE}

8   City watch allows former PM soundly ease out (7) SEATTLE {SE{ATTLee}E}

9   Red invitation over the highway (6) COMMIE {COM{M1}E}

15 Rehearsal on holding 50% of that event (9) TRIATHLON {TRIA{THat}L}{ON}

17 A bar’s evacuated, takes another second for him to run away (9) ABSCONDER {A}{Ba{SECOND*}R}

18 Clerical work — extremely unusual to include music (9) ACTUARIAL {ACT}{Un{ARIA}u..aL}

19 Tribal garden — the French agree on name (7) BEDOUIN {BED}{OUI}{N}

21 One is powerless when it happens (6) OUTAGE [CD]

23 Minimum energy to survive outside (5) LEAST {L{E}AST}

24 Very subservient to state authority (3-2) SAY-SO [DD] (Addendum - {SO}<=>{SAY} - See comments)

26 Form of tax — it’s included in article (5) TITHE {T{IT}HE}

Reference List

Big = OS, America = A, Hands = R,L, Ease = E and E, Agree in French = OUI, Name = N, Energy = E 

Colour/Font Scheme

Definition, Solution, Component letters, Embedded links, Theme word,  Anagram Indicator, C/C indicator, Reversal Indicator, Hidden word Indicator, Letter Pick indicator, Deletion Indicator, Homophone Indicator, Movement Indicator, Positional Indicator, Substitution, Indicator, Opposite indicator, Link/Connector, Extraneous

Dr RKE's TalePiece

Jay Ram was pacing about in the plush living room of their apartment in SEATTLE, WA. He said “Sara, no, NOT ON YOUR NELLY, you are not spending the night out. We have discussed this before and the LICENTIOUSNESS of your American friends is repugnant to our culture. You will return home before 9 pm, like a good Indian girl”. Jayaraman Sundaresan (known as Jay Ram) had settled in the USA 2 decades ago and had brought up his OLDER son Kris (Krishnan Sundaresan) and younger daughter Saraswathi (Sara) like all other American kids in the neighborhood. They went to the same schools, ate the same food, played the same games and naturally, their American upbringing REFLECTed on their attitude. The boy excelled in TRIATHLON and the girl, true to her Indian origin, had been in the finals of the spelling bee contest.

The strain started showing when the daughter was in her teens. It was the SANG FROID of their mother Radhika and her UNALLOYED faith in them that often saved the kids from the father’s outbursts. Her calming presence often made Jay’s BOSSINESS EVAPORATE without a trace. Radhika, who knew a battle royal was to ENSUE between the dad and his daughter, said “her closest friends are that girl from INDONESIA and that TAIWANESE. They share our Asian values. Have an OUNCE of trust in our daughter. Sara sure knows her limits”.  “Ok, this time, if you SAY SO. But if this repeats itself DITTO the next time, I would pack her off to study at Madras staying with your dad and mum” grunted Jay Ram, though his voice sounded LEAST convincing.

Sundaresan, Jay’s father, an octogenarian widower living with them, had beaten hollow all the ACTUARIAL assessments of the insurers and had OUTLASTed a hip fracture and a prostate cancer. He peeped out of his room after Jay stormed out of the house and told his daughter-in-law “Radhika, there was a time back in Coimbatore, when Jayaraman became an ABSCONDER from college, having joined the COMMIE outfit called SFI.  Of course, I had total faith in the way that I and my Meenakshi, that blessed soul, had brought him up. I knew he would be able to draw the line ultimately and lent him a rather long rope. He reformed when it mattered and is now serving this capitalist country. I hope he has not DELETed all this from his memory. I am sure it will soon dawn on this IGNORAMUS to let the kids do their own THING”. Radhika ever in control merely said in admiration for the old man “yes, Appa” and like a doting daughter she reminded him to take his weekly ENEMA.